1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to earth compacting equipment; and, more particularly, to an improved vibratory sheepsfoot assembly adapted to be mounted to a tractor or the like for use in narrow trench compaction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are various types of machines known in the art used to compact earth. One such type of machine is known as a sheepsfoot and is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,183,804. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,374, commonly assigned, there is described such apparatus and the known prior art of which the trench compactor described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,374 was an improvement. A more recent patent to Livesay, U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,368, describes a sheepsfoot which is attached to the bucket of a tractor or the like.
The trencher in U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,365 straddles a trench and compacts the earth by means of the sheepsfoot. In this manner, the operator can dig a trench, lay pipe, back fill with the trencher, then compact the dirt back again with the other end of the sheepsfoot.
One such sheepsfoot is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,342. The sheepsfoot, as described there, includes a rotatable cylinder having spaced teeth which vibrate into the dirt to compact the soil. Of the prior art sheepsfoot rollers some can not work within a narrow trench such as a twenty-four (24) inch wide trench, others are not productive in a narrow trench environment. Further, such prior art devices do not work efficiently in compacting all types of soils, such as cohesive clays, clay mixes and granular native materials. It is desirable to have such a sheepsfoot which can be quickly and easily mounted to, or demounted from, a loader bucket or similar lip on a prime mover blade and can compact soil quickly and operate in relatively narrow trenches than known prior art devices. Such a device should be able to produce specification compaction in native soils or the like without breakage of pipe laid in the trench.